Machine for inserting spiral wire binders



Aug. 5, 1969 A. E. SCHMIDT 3,459,242

MACHINE FOR INSERTING SPIRAL WIRE BINDERS Filed Aug. 15, 1967 S Sheets-Sheet 1 INV mos.

g- 5, 1969 A. E. SCHMIDT 3,459,242

I MACHINE f'OR INSERTING SPIRAL WIRE BINDERS Filed Aug. 15, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet. 2

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Aug. 5, 1969 A. E. SCHMIDT $459,242

MACHINE FOR INSERTING SPIRAL WIRE BINDBRS Filed Aug. 15, 1967 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent O US. Cl. 14092.93 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A spiral wire binding machine having stationary and movable guide roller supports for the wire and a coiling head adjustable along a path about 25 from the horizontal to adjust for different book thicknesses and coil diameters.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention The invention relates to spiral wire binding machines for notebooks or the like.

Description of the prior art A spiral wire binding machine is shown in Osterimeier patent application Ser. No. 503,704 filed Oct. 23, 1965. Such a machine has a stationary and a movable guide roller support and a coiling tool body from which the spiral wire binder issues, passing through slots in said supports as they clamp the stack of sheets in binding position. In the known construction, the coiling tool body is adjustable along a path inclined about 20 from the vertical. To adjust for different coil diameters and book thicknesses in said machine, it is necessary to not only adjust the position of the coiling tool body, but also axially and radially adjust the operating positions of the stationary and movable guide rollers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention, the coiling tool is adjustably mounted for movement substantially along a line which connects the center of the coil (of any diameter) with the tangent point of such coil on the rear guide roller and with the centerline of said guide roller. This line is at an angle of approximately 25 from the horizontal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIGURE 1 is a perspective view in elevation of a binding machine incorporating the principles of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view in elevation looking toward the left hand frame plate and showing the manner of adjusting the coiling tool body;

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view in elevation showing the guide roller supports;

FIGURE 4 is a detailed elevational view showing one of the retaining hooks for a stack of sheets, and

FIGURE 5 is a diagrammatic layout showing the locations of the coiling tool centerlines for five different coil diameters and thicknesses.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The machine is constructed similarly to that shown and described in application Ser. No. 535,154 filed Mar. 17, 1966, now Patent No. 3,378,046, by Claus Ostermeier and entitled Spiral Binder. It is generally indicated at 21 and comprises a frame generally indicated at 22, adapted to rest on the floor, This frame has left hand and right hand upright side plates 23 and 24 respectively,

3,459,242 Patented Aug. 5 1969 between which are disposed the main machine components. These side plates are secured together by appropriate cross members such as the upper member 25, indicated in FIGURE 1. A wire guide tube 26 is secured to the upper portion of frame 21 adjacent the left hand end thereof, this tube being horizontally disposed and adapted to guide a wire 27 that is fed from a spool (not shown) to the rear of the machine. A pulley 28 is secured to plate 23 forwardly of tube 26 and aligned therewith. From pulley 28 the wire is led downwardly toward a wire coiling tool 29.

Coiling tool 29 having a mandrel 30 is of conventional construction and need not be described in detail. A number of interchangeable coiling tools are provided for different spiral diameters, and the coiling tool is removably mounted on a coiling tool body 31 by a knurled nut 32. The coiling tool mandrel 30 is surrounded by a slotted member, the wire entering the slotted member at the left hand end thereof and being coiled by the mandrel, exiting at the right hand end of the tool in the form of a spiral wire which, as it turns, will pass successively through a series of holes in a package of sheets and covers 33 (FIGURE 3) which are held in alignment by means described below.

Coiling tool body 31 is provided with a flange 34 at the end opposite that which supports tool 29. The mandrel has an arbor extending to the left in FIGURE 1 through plate 23, the outer end of this arbor carrying a pulley for driving the mandrel, as described in greater detail in the aforesaid copending application Ser. No. 503,704. These parts, however, are not shown in the present application. Flange 34 is aflixed to a mounting plate 35 of elongated shape which has a flat surface resting against frame plate 23. A pair of set screws 36 and 37 are threadably mounted in apertures 38 and 39, respectively, of plate 35. The heads of these bolts are outside plate 23, the bolts passing through elongated slots 41 and 42 in plate 23 on opposite sides of a clearance hole (not shown) which accommodates the arbor.

Slots 41 and 42 have a common axis which also passes through the axis of the arbor and mandrel and is inclined upwardly and forwardly, that is, clockwise from the horizontal, as seen in FIGURE 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the inclination of the axis of slots 41 and 42 is about 25 from the horizontal. The slots are of sufficient length to permit adjustment of coiling tool body 31 to any one of an infinite number of positions within the limits defined by the lengths of the slots. To aid in this adjustment, an adjusting screw 43 is provided. This screw has a portion 44 rotatably mounted on an extension 45 secured to plate 23, and a threaded portion 46 mounted in an extension 47 at the forward end of plate 35. When screws 36 and 37 are loosened, rotation of screw 43 will result in adjustment of coiling tool body 31, so that the axis-of mandrel 30 will travel along the line indicated at 48 in the schematic showing of FIGURE 5. When the desired position of body 31 has been achieved, it may be locked in place by tightening screws 36 and 37.

The means for clamping pack 33 in position and guiding the spiral binder includes a forward guide roller support member 49, a rear guide roller support member 50 carrying a pair of hooks 51, a forward guide roller 52 rotatably mounted within member 49 and a rear guide roller 53 rotatably mounted within member 51.

Guide roller support members 49 and 50 are of elongated shape and have rectangular cross sections. Rear guide roller support member 50 is stationarily mounted while forward guide roller support 49 is mounted for swinging movement on a rockable shaft 54, as described more particularly in the aforementioned copending application. Ser. No. 535,154, filed Mar. 17, 1966. Member 49 is movable between a retracted position as shown in FIGURE 1 and a clamping position as shown in FIG- URE 3. In its retracted position, member 49 is spaced forwardly from member 51 sufficiently for the operator to place the perforated edge of a pack 33 against the forward face of member 50, hanging on hooks 51 which enter perforations 55 in the edge of pack 33. When in its clamping position, member 49 will engage pack 33 clamping it against member 50. While in this position, wire 27 will be fed from tool 29 through perforations 55. A shoe 56 disposed over the exit of tool 29 will prevent undue upward movement of the spiral wire as it leaves the coiling tool.

The construction of support members 49 and 50 is described in detail in the aforesaid copending application Ser. No. 535,154. Briefly, forward roller 49 has a flat rearwardly facing surface interrupted by vertical slots 57 communicating with a bore within which roller 52 is mounted. Member 50 has a fiat forwardly facing surface interrupted by vertical slots 58 connecting with the bore rotatably supporting roller 53. These rollers are adapted to drive the spiral wire as it passes through the perforations 55.

The present invention concerns the means for adjusting this mechanism in order to accommodate different thicknesses of booklets and diameters of spiral wires. It will be observed that different book thicknesses require different coil diameters so that the books may be properly opened. The following table gives an example of different sizes:

Book thickness, Coil diameter, mm. mm.

The following conditions must be met in assembling the coil to the book:

(1) The outside diameter of the coil must make contact with roller 53, inside member 50.

(2) The centerline of the coil must be positioned above the center of the book thickness, that is, it must be symmetrically placed.

(3) The diameter of the coil must have a certain relationship to the thickness of the book, that is, it must be somewhat larger in diameter than the book thickness to permit the book to be opened properly.

It has been found that these conditions can be met, with a minimum of effort insofar as adjustment is concerned, by moving the center of tool 31 substantially along a line which connects the center of the coil (of any diameter) with the tangent point T (FIGURE between the coil and roller 53 and with the centerline C of shaft 53.

The above conditions and restrictions are fulfilled by a 4 line 48 at an angle of approximately 25 from the horizontal. There will be only slight variations of the locations of mandrel centerline M from this ideal line.

It has been found that with the above described construction and particularly the adjustable nature of the mandrel along the line indicated, the necessity of readjusting other components of the machine such as forward and rear support members 49 and 51 and the coil cutting mechanisms described more particularly in the aforesaid copending applications is reduced to a minimum, thereby facilitating the adjustment of the coil assembly machine 21 when such adjustment is necessary to accommodate differences in coil diameters and book thicknesses.

While it will be apparent that the embodiment of the invention disclosed is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated, it will be appreciated that the invention is susceptible to modification, variation and change without departing from the proper scope or fair meaning of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. In a spiral binder applying machine, a frame, a horizontally disposed guide roller, means securing a pack of sheets in vertical position with its perforated edge uppermost and adjacent said guide roller, a tool body forward and to one side of said guide roller for feeding a spiral wire through said perforations, said guide roller guiding said spiral wire as it passes through the perforations, and means securing said tool body to said frame for adjust ment approximately along a line passing through the centerline of said roller and inclined upwardly and forwardly about 25 from the horizontal.

2. In a spiral binder applying machine, a stationary guide roller support member having a fiat forwardly facing surface, a rear guide roller rotatably mounted in said member, a forward guide roller support member mounted for movement between a retracted position away from said first-mentioned member and a clamping position adjacent thereto, whereby a pack of sheets will be clamped in vertical position, a forward guide roller rotatably mounted in said forward member, a frame and a coiling tool body having a mandrel mounted on said frame forwardly and to one side of said rear member for adjustment along a line inclined upwardly and forwardly approximately 25 from the horizontal, whereby a line connecting the centerline of said mandrel and the centerline of said rear roller will pass substantially through the common tangent point of different diameters which engage said rear roller.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,107,217 2/1938 Salsman et al 92.93

CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner L. A. LARSON, Assistant Examiner 

